A 53-year-old Canton man says he was chased through his own neighborhood by a group of roughly six teenagers who demanded his shoes and watch, threatened him with a gun, and pelted him with rocks as he tried to get away. Richard Dreves refused to hand over his shoes and watch, but the group stole his watch anyway during the broad-daylight confrontation on August 4.
Dreves spoke with FOX45 News, which reported that officers were called to the 600 block of South Bradford Street after the attack. The outlet reported the suspects were estimated to be between 12 and 17 years old, and that the group eluded police despite a fast response. Investigators have since released surveillance images of the juveniles along with a $6,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, according to the station’s report.
The confrontation left more than one victim. Neighbors reported that the same group smashed flowerpots and threw a paving block through a garage window belonging to Bob Lippert as they moved through the area, according to a video report from FOX45. Lippert discovered the damage to his garage shortly after the group passed through his street.
Police Were Already Tracking the Group
Dispatch audio from the day of the incident showed police were not caught entirely off guard. A responding Baltimore Police officer was already actively searching for the specific group of juveniles in the area before the robbery was even reported, and warned other officers over the radio that one suspect was armed, per the same account from WCBM. One juvenile brandished a gun and threatened Dreves with it during the encounter, and officers later gathered home surveillance video from surrounding alleys to help identify the group…